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| Mike Sommer |
 Posted: Wed Mar 12, 2008 1:38 am |
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Joined: 14 Dec 2007
Posts: 369
Location: Los Angeles
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Today I was reminded of the wonderful voice of Peter Thomas, when over my satellite radio came Paul Hardcastle's "19", in which Thomas' narration of "Vietnam Requiem" was sampled (Thomas first objected to the use of his voice, but soon relented).
Any thought or experiences with this golden-toned and very active elder statesman of the voice over world?
Hear a sample Peter Thomas (after the brief commercial):
http://salonmedia.vo.llnwd.net/o1/mp3s/zimmer121201.mp3 |
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| CB |
| Posted: Wed Mar 12, 2008 11:44 am |
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Joined: 14 Dec 2007
Posts: 643
Location: HERE!
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Peter Thomas is unbeatable as a narrator: Unparalleled at dramatic "gravitas" and warmth. Without any apparent force or vocal thunder, he arrests the viewer's attention - getting us emotionally involved in the moment with bold, polished "brushstrokes" of meaning, and a sense of deep understanding of the players and subject matter that make up the story. He has a savvy sense of what will work magically in the finished piece - once described by one veteran recording engineer as surprisingly "over the top" and "saccharine" before any of the other production elements come into play; but when placed into the big picture, as he put it: "it's pure gold". And yet, if miscast, as he was for a documentary series about Great Comedians, he can come off as cloyingly artificial - what you might call embarrassingly "corny".
Within that certain range of dramatic exposition, however, there is nobody better - with a "How does he do it?" kind of perfection that leaves all other narrators mystified and envious. We all wish we could do what Peter Thomas does with a piece of narration. But there is only one.
* Incidentally, that linked sample is far from his best - being a recent raw recording of a rushed cold read for a typical cheap cable network "docu-tainment" production. I would recommend looking for some of his more classic, polished work on an older, higher-budget, finished production, and disregard this substandard example (actually sounds more like a demo recording outtake - snatched from the editor's workstation). There must be a better sample we can find... |
Last edited by CB on Thu Mar 13, 2008 3:40 pm; edited 3 times in total |
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| Mike Sommer |
| Posted: Wed Mar 12, 2008 11:29 pm |
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Joined: 14 Dec 2007
Posts: 369
Location: Los Angeles
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I can't agree with you more. He is one of the top three TV voice men of my youth along with, Rex Allen, and Mason Adams.
In my "Wiki" research on Mr Thomas, he is quoted about how his father always stressed mental images as an important speaking tool. "For example, he told his son if he were talking about horses he had to picture horses in his mind." Such wonderful advice!
Though Mr Thomas seems to be an east coast man, have you ever worked with him? |
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| CB |
| Posted: Thu Mar 13, 2008 12:24 pm |
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Joined: 14 Dec 2007
Posts: 643
Location: HERE!
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Quote: Though Mr Thomas seems to be an east coast man, have you ever worked with him?
...And yes - using mental images to guide any vocal performance is the "right" approach. It makes delivery much more efficient, enjoyable, and naturally effortless. Doing it by analyzing and taking-apart the script bit-by-bit; mechanically adjusting tone, pace, and emotional shading on a phrase-by-phrase basis (most less-experienced voice actor/narrators tend to do that) can work - but that's the hard way, and never achieves results that are as "magical". |
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